The UN Children's Fund said Tuesday that 59 children hospitalized in Hodeida in Yemen were threatened by intense fighting between rebels and pro-government forces.
The life of 59 children in a hospital in Hodeida is threatened by fighting between rebels and pro-government forces in the city of western Yemen at war, warned Tuesday the UN Children's Fund (Unicef).
"The intense fighting in the port city of Hodeida has come dangerously close to Al-Thawra Hospital, putting 59 children at risk, including 25 in intensive care , " said the organization in a statement. "Medical staff and patients at the hospital have confirmed that they hear the sound of intense shelling and shelling. Access from and to the hospital, the only one operating in the area, is now dangerous, " she added.
According to Unicef, of the 400,000 children in the country who suffer from severe malnutrition, 40% come from Hodeida and neighboring regions. "Some of the sickest are transferred to Hodeida Hospital . "
"Stop fighting near and around the hospital"
Unicef teams in the field are distributing aid, including medicines, clean water and food to help children who are severely undernourished, UNICEF said.
She called on all parties "to end the fighting near and around the hospital, to allow civilians access to it safely, and to stop attacking civilian infrastructure, including the port of Hodeida" .
Nearly three-quarters of humanitarian aid entering Yemen transits through the port of Hodeida, not far from the hospital.
Five days of clashes in Hodeida between loyalist forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, and Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, have killed at least 150 people on both sides. The pro-government forces want to take over the strategic port controlled by the rebels.